Title: A New Leaf by ehmazing
Fandom: Neighbor Totoro, Princess, Mononoke
Character/Pairing: Totoro
Word Count: 1241
Summary: “After the death of the Forest Spirit, the Totoro Clan worries about the future.“
Why I Rec This Fic: not as depressing as the matchup may sound. Great world building tie in.
Ponyo
Title: we who were sea foam by erraticvariable
Fandom: Ponyo
Character/Pairing: Ponyo, Ponyo/Sousuke
Word Count: 488
Summary: Future Fic. "This is what life with no magic means." Ponyo grows up
Why I Rec This Fic: Future Fics about kid characters not being depressing are important to me, so Ponyo struggles but she doesn´t sink.
She never stopped going too fast, even in these days when her energy keeps diminishing as everyone else's does when they grow. She may not run and jump from one point to another, but she does have a stride that leaves most other people behind if they're not careful.
Kiki´s delivery service
Title:Summer Fireworks by foxinthestars
Fandom: Kiki´s delivery service
Character/Pairing: Kiki, Tombo, Ursula
Word Count: 1831
Summary: “Ursula comes to visit Kiki for the summer fireworks festival.“
Why I Rec This Fic: Female friendships! Appreciation of beauty and child-like wonder.
Ursula barely looked at her own sparkler; it was more fun to watch Kiki gape and smile at hers, and to try to make a mind-painting of its light playing over her hand and her face, of the little sparks flying too fast even to see them move, every instant a new dandelion puff of gold-white light...
Title: you never needed it to be a clear day by UnapologeticallyMeatwad
Fandom: Kiki´s delivery service
Character/Pairing: Kiki, Tombo, Jiji
Word Count: 2742
Summary: "Kiki first lost her ability to fly when she was thirteen. When she regained her magic, it came with a price: Jiji.
She lost it again six months later. Then two years later when she was sixteen. Again at eighteen. It just never ends.
Kiki has done this so many times, this burnout cycle. She knows it, she understands it.
This time, she never even fell. She just decided to stop."
Why I Rec This Fic: Realistic mental health journey, that fits as a continum of what canon shows. Hopeful ending and lovely supporting relationship.
My only pet peeve with this is the inclusion of “texting” a technology thing that feels for me at least out of place in the universe – but maybe thats just me! (I have never in my life send a text message viva phone)
Laputa: Castle in the sky
Title: Wearing the Sod Gown by lotesse
Fandom: Laputa: Castle in the sky
Character/Pairing: Sheeta, Pazu, Dola
Word Count: 4706
Warnings: the G*psy slur (a ship is named that way)
Summary: “Sheeta wears Pazu's patched castoffs and Dola's fancy lendings, braiding her short hair down against the wind.“
Why I Rec This Fic: There are many wonderful things in this, it is all in Ghiblis soft tune that choice healing over destruction, rembering but moving forward, that allows female characters be characters (female friendship, having their own ways of thinking/living “feminity“) and kids grow at their own pace. I really don´t have words for much i love this fic.
Dola liked for Sheeta to share her watch, at which time she would tell her somewhat more realistic tales of a free life, and run her gnarl-knuckled hands through Sheeta's still-short hair.
Title: pirate sons and pirate daughters by appleheart
Fandom: Laputa: Castle in the sky
Character/Pairing: Dola, Pazu, Sheeta
Word Count: 655
Warnings: Internalized Misogyny
Summary: Dola always wanted daughers
Why I Rec This Fic: Dola is perfect in this, there is love and a certain way of goodness but not to much sentimentalty, no false pretent of anything bigger/better then that, just hungry people scrapping to get by. And while the internalized Misogyny is sad as it always it, its realistic, and there is (for me, as a hopeful person maybe) hope, maybe she will learn to regonice, what she and Sheeta share, in other girls too (and there are girls like them of cause who find themself without them anyway)
When Dola was pleased with them, she would tell them how strong the family resemblance was. […]
There would have been other daughters, had she thought to look.
Title: Morning Comes by Vashti (tvashti)
Fandom: Laputa: Castle in the sky
Character/Pairing: Dola, Pazu, Sheeta
Word Count: 2266
Summary: "When Pazu is sent to bring Sheeta back to the airship, he finds out that she has other things to do. At least for now."
Why I Rec This Fic: Dola mentoring Sheeta! Adorable Pazu and Sheeta (both together and alone)! Sweet (nothing revolutionary but sweet) handling of female characters being awesome (and gender roles/sterotypes).
“I guess they have to harvest all the fields? To sell in town?”
“Not ‘they’, ‘we’. Me. Everyone,” she said, gesturing with an arm to indicate all the unseen members of the farming community. “Harvest takes everyone, Pazu.”
“Everyone?”
“Everyone,” Sheeta confirmed. “I’ve been helping with the harvest since I was old enough to toddle behind my mother. I don’t remember much of it, of course,” she said with a fond smile, “but it’s still the same.”
The wind rises
Title: you can see it with the lights out by annperkinsface
Fandom: The Wind Rises (2013)
Character/Pairing: Jirou Horikoshi, Naoko Satomi
Jiro/Naoko
Word Count: 438
Summary: "They doze together when they can."
Why I Rec This Fic: While the movie mostly makes me angry, it has this really sweet peaceful moments between Jirou and Naoko and the author really captured the feeling of them, and kind of adress one of the things that make me angry.
He kisses her fingertips, making her eyes crease at the corners. He wants to kiss the skin there too; feel her laughter on his cheek. He wants so much.
Title: i give myself up to this shining space by jan
Fandom: The Wind Rises (2013)
Character/Pairing: Naoko Satomi
Word Count: 2461
Summary: “Naoko waits, and dreams, and tries to live." Title from Valéry's Le cimetière marin.
Why I Rec This Fic: I have massive beaf with this movie – some of that directed at the unusal bad handling of the female characters, so this fic is for me a „fix it“ perspective change, that brings out the themes that the movie wants to conway (or that I think it wants to) better then canon.
Regardless of your feelings for canon, it has beautiful female character focus, female friendships, poetry and art references and hopeful resistance.
Podfic here by Rhea314 (length: 19:53)
It's only when Naoko approaches, half-curious, that she notices the frown on the woman's face.
She draws closer. The woman turns, gives a startled laugh. "I'm sorry -- I must have looked quite stern, just then. I was thinking about how to capture it. Or how I would capture it, rather, if I could."
"On canvas?" Naoko asks, before remembering her manners. "Satomi Naoko. Sorry for intruding."
"Not at all. Hori Setsuko. Do you paint as well?"
I did, Naoko almost says. But the past tense implies a surrender she's not yet ready to make. "I do."
Porco Rosso
Title: Over the Sea by pts
Fandom: Porco Rosso
Character/Pairing: Porco Rosso | Marco Pagot, Madame Gina, Fio Piccolo, Donald Curtiss
Word Count: 3188
Summary: "Marco had a quiet life with Gina, and he loved it. Then war came, and changed everything. Marco, Gina, and Fio flee the rising fascism of Italy to come to the United States. But America is preparing for war, too, and Marco is dreadfully tired of war."
Warning: Suicidal Thoughts
Title: Safe Harbor by darkcyan
Fandom: Porco Rosso
Character/Pairing: Madame Gina, Fio Piccolo,
Fio Piccolo & Madame Gina
Word Count: 10185
Summary: "Wednesday, 17 February 1943
My dearest friend,
I’m sure you have already heard the news. We are all fine but the workshop is not.
I hope this letter finds you well, and reaches you before I arrive, for I fear my summer visit is coming early this year.
Yours sincerely,
Fio Piccolo"
Warning: non graphic war and post traumatic stresss
Why I Rec This Fic: Beautiful post movie fic, that really manage to work the neutrality vs partisanship conflict and has very sweet interactions between the two female characters.
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